u/francis-02

Hi, I’m new to eating 1200 calories/day. I have noticed I have very little hunger during the day until it hits me around 5pm.

This is because I take a really high dose of ADHD meds; it’s over the limit in Australia.

Is there any point in forcing myself to eat during the day or should I save calories for the evening when I’m hungry?

I want to be clear upfront: I am no longer thin. I am no longer underweight. By every clinical measure I am fine.

I am also currently an inpatient in a psychiatric facility that treats eating disorders, writing this because I have spent the last week and now half day taking selfies in different lighting trying to work out whether my face looks worse than yesterday.

It does, by the way. It definitely does.

I’m 19. Male. I compare my face to every person I walk past. I position myself in rooms based on which angle hides my chin. I check every mirror I encounter. On bad days I skip meals not because I want to be thin but because I don’t want to sit at a table and make people look at me.

I only go to group when my ADHD meds have kicked in. They make me feel like I look better. I don’t think that’s how ADHD meds work but here we are.

I have given myself a deadline. Mid to late August. That is when I will allow myself to exist in public again (starting from when I am discharged). I need my face to depuff before university. My psychologist told me a version of this plan would kill me a few months ago.

I’m back at the plan.

Anyone else doing this from a place of not fitting the stereotype? I feel insane and also completely alone in this specific flavour of insane.

I have had anorexia, BED and I over exercise all since I was 14, I’m now 19. I was underweight for almost all of that period, but I gained a lot of weight recently within 3 months in a general mental health ward. I have since lost a lot of it through restriction during the day and binge eating huge amounts at night.

I am currently in an eating disorder ward. I have been for 2 weeks - & I have 2 weeks left.

Last night I panicked in the mirror about my appearance and I told the nurses I want to discharge. They said I can on Monday (tomorrow). It’s a voluntary ward.

When I’m home I want to calorie count and restrict my intake and exercise on my indoor bike to lose weight. I won’t leave the house for 8 weeks until I’m at a certain weight. That’s the plan.

I’m just worried if I leave the hospital I’ll go back to binge eating or I’ll become really lonely and make my social anxiety worse.

But if I stay another 2 weeks, I might do this weight loss plan anyways. I’m not sure if staying will change my mind.

If you can help me decide that would be nice. Thank you ☺️

Age: 19 | Sex: M

I had two suicide attempts involving paracetamol overdose and I'm curious about the medical side of what happened. I'm in an eating disorder hospital right now receiving psychiatric treatment. It’s my 5th admission this year alone, no need to worry about me.

First attempt:
Approximately 36g of paracetamol. I was underweight at the time (48kg) but importantly: I had binged eaten a huge amount that day. I did not go to hospital or receive any treatment. I experienced no major symptoms that I can remember and recovered without intervention (I didn’t even see a GP for a blood test). I told nobody; I live with housemates, no family.

Second attempt (2-3 months later):
48g, taken in a hotel room. Next morning around 8-12 hours later I was back home and vomited severely on the front lawn (very painful). I called an ambulance and was treated with NAC (N-acetylcysteine) for two weeks.

My questions:

1. Could the large amount of food in my stomach during the first attempt have slowed absorption enough to prevent serious liver damage? Did that binge save my life?
2. Is it possible I sustained liver damage from either attempt that has since resolved?
3. The vomiting after the second attempt; was that my body trying to expel it, or liver/organ distress?

Not looking for crisis resources, just genuinely curious about the pharmacology. Thanks.

19M, 173cm, 66kg, Australia
Medications below.

Relevant history: Currently an inpatient for a psychiatric admission.
I was on 200–250mg of desvenlafaxine (Pristiq) for several months, that’s above the maximum recommended dose. However my old psychiatrist quit on me so I had to find a new psychiatrist. The new one immediately ceased pristiq overnight with no taper 2 weeks ago when I was an outpatient. He ceased it because I have bipolar apparently. A few days later I was admitted into hospital for a *planned* eating disorder admission.

For the first 5 days after he ceased it I had severe nausea, brain zaps, dizziness, headaches, fatigue and was barely able to get out of bed. It was so severe I became extremely dehydrated and my heart rate hit 180 when I stood up at one point (I was at home at this stage)
That’s now passed but I’m 10 days in and still experiencing brain fog, headaches, very bad irritability, mood swings, worsening stress and absolutely no energy. (At this stage I was in hospital. I’m still here).
This has been debilitating. I haven’t functioned normally for 1-2 weeks.

My psychiatrist believes this is Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome (and/or something else starting with “acute”)
My psychiatrist’s only intervention was starting me on a low dose of fluoxetine. There has been no acknowledgment that the abrupt cessation may have been inappropriate, and no apology.

I’d also like to note that he ceased Nitrazepam as well which my old psychiatrist put me on. I had been on nitrazepam for months. I went from 2 tablets to 0 overnight. I read about it and the withdrawal can cause seizures and death.

My questions:

1. My psychiatrist is asking ME what I want done about it. Well I’m not a psychiatrist, so how would I know? If you know what I can suggest to my psychiatrist please help me.
2. Is overnight cessation from a supratherapeutic dose of Pristiq considered within the standard of care?
3. Is what I’m experiencing consistent with Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome?
4. How long can I expect these symptoms to last?
5. Is my new psychiatrist reckless?

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Current medications: Fluoxetine 20mg (just started), Vyvanse 70mg, dexamphetamine 15mg, Tegretol 800mg (I think), saphris 20mg (night), belsomra 20mg, carbamazepine 400mg, clonidine 100mg (I think).